After the fight: Who should Dillian Whyte fight next?

Dillian Whyte dominated Alexander Povetkin in their rematch and helped lessen the disappointment of their first fight, but who’s next? 

Dillian Whyte gained some retribution and saved his career with his March 27 round 4 TKO win over Alexander Povetkin, but he now needs a new dancing partner for his next fight.

Unfortunately, Whyte’s future is as murky as the heavyweight division’s.

In hindsight, the storylines surrounding the Whyte vs. Povetkin saga are pretty dynamic. At 32 years old, a second loss to a 42-year-old Povetkin would have ended any serious conversations of Whyte challenging for a world title.

Whyte’s (28-2, 19 KOs) knockout loss to Povetkin in 2020 was a serious hiccup in the heavyweight division. If he won, then Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua would have been in jeopardy of being put off longer.

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Even though Fury and Joshua have agreed in principle to a two-fight deal, those plans are far from solidified.

Whyte showed why he’s one of the world’s best heavyweights with his stoppage of Povetkin, but his win lacks luster due to Povetkin’s poor effort. Povetkin looked awful for the brief four rounds he remained on his feet.

Povetkin looked lethargic and uneasy from the opening bell. Even the fight night commentators questioned if he was still damaged from the after-effects of COVID-19, which reportedly put him in the hospital twice.

Did Whyte improve much since his loss to Povetkin, or was Povetkin badly diminished? Probably both are true to a degree which accounts for the result.

It’s staggering how different the CompuBox numbers were between Whyte and Povetkin’s first and second bouts. In their first matchup, Whyte threw 167 punches and landed 63. The second time around, he threw 131 and landed 57 punches in four rounds compared to five.

Whyte did perform better, but Povetkin was also much worse.

In the first contest, Povetkin threw 175 punches and landed 34. In the second, he threw 72 and only connected with 8 total shots. Those numbers are dramatically low for Povetkin. He didn’t land a single punch in round 3. Yes, Whyte was excellent, but Povetkin was horrendous in the rematch, and it wasn’t all because of Whyte’s ability.

Dillian Whyte has options for his next fight, but none of them is ideal

Povetkin’s performance was so dismal that a trilogy bout with Whyte isn’t warranted. He should probably consider retirement if that was all he had to offer.

If Fury and Joshua are locked up for two matchups, that will leave no opportunity for Whyte to fight in a major title fight. Waiting for a questionable opportunity to fight the winner of Fury vs. Joshua after two contests isn’t feasible.

In that scenario, Whyte could wait more than a year and a half for a fight that’s not promised. Who’s to say that Fury and Joshua don’t split a pair of epic fights and force their own trilogy? That would take even longer. Even then, there’s no guarantee that Whyte could isolate a title fight with the winner.

Deontay Wilder’s name has been thrown around for Whyte. WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman told Sky Sports, “Yes, that could be a very interesting matchup.”

He also added, “Unfortunately, we are not promoters, we are not match-makers, but this could be potentially a very interesting fight.”

Wilder vs. anybody is an interesting fight at this point. His eccentric social media comments and rare and obscure interviews make Wilder the most unpredictable top heavyweight in boxing. He’s 35 years old and has kept a low profile since his 2020 TKO loss to Fury. I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t fight again.

So if there’s no Fury, Joshua or Wilder, who can Whyte fight next?

According to the WBC rankings, the next names on the list are Oleksandr Usyk, Luis Ortiz, Andy Ruiz Jr. and Joe Joyce. Usyk and Joyce could be meeting next. Ruiz and Ortiz are both PBC fighters, which could make a showdown with them more difficult.

Whyte might have to go lower on the list. He mentioned after the fight that he might like an easy fight for money. Decoding that, Whyte probably wants an easy fight next, so an upset doesn’t ruin another chance of challenging for a world title.

A lighter touch like Kubrat Pulev would allow Whyte to tread water until a title shot becomes available. He could also meet the winner of a rumored Joseph Parker vs. Dereck Chisora contest. None of these is an easy opponent. There will always be a risk in the heavyweight division.

Whyte’s next fight probably won’t be one he desires, but it will be necessary to stay in top form if he ever wants to enter the title picture.